Couple dancing samba reggae
Samba reggae is both a form of dance and musical genre originating in Bahia, Brazil in the 1970s. The word "Samba" derives from the African word "Semba," meaning naval bump, an indication to the intimacy of the dance. Samba Reggae music is a fusion of Brazilian samba and Jamaican reggae. The dance is lively and upbeat, making it a favorite in ballroom competitions throughout the world. Traditionally, an intimate social dance with Afro-Brazilians, samba reggae's popularity has grown far from its home in Rio to countries all over the globe.
Instructions
1. Face your partner, keep arms straight, not bending the elbow and interlock fingers. The man leads and the woman follows. Samba reggae consists of shifting weight from foot to foot more so than it is taking a full step with each movement.
2. Slide the right foot back slightly on the first beat of the music, putting the full weight of your body on it. The man starts with this move; the woman mirrors the move except backward, sliding her left foot forward slightly and putting all of her weight on it.
3. Shift body weight subtly while sliding the left foot back onto the ball of the foot; the left heel does not hit the floor at all for the man. The move should be very slight. The woman mirrors this by sliding the right foot forward, letting the body's weight shift to the ball of the left foot; her right heel should not touch the floor.
4. Raise the right foot due to the ball change and let the full weight of the body shift as the right leg comes fully to the floor. The woman mirrors by lifting the left leg because of weight shift and placing it back on the floor flat anticipating beginning the backward basic over to complement the forward basic of her partner.
5. Listen to the music to guide pace and rhythm of the dance. Samba reggae music is in 2/4 time. There are three steps to each basic move, which can sometimes make the counting process confusing.
6. Place the word "and" in between beat counts to assist in timing dance steps, an example is 1 and 2, 3 and 4 counting. However, use the music to guide and instruct on dance movements. Dancing samba reggae is about feeling the music and feeling the dance more so than counting and timed steps.
